Barry Beach: sickened and saddened by denial of clemency application

Montana's parole board this week rejected a clemency application from Barry Beach. That means he'll continue to serve a 100-year sentence for the 1979 killing of high school classmate, Kim Nees, on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

Credit Casey Page/Billings Gazette

That decision marks the fourth time the Montana Board of Pardons and Parole declined to hold a full clemency hearing for Beach. Beach maintains Louisiana police coerced his confession. He has a long list of supporters and detractors. Those who support him include current Governor Steve Bullock, former Governor Brian Schweitzer, U.S. Senator Jon Tester and former Senator Conrad Burns. Montana Attorney General Tim Fox supports this week's Board of Pardons ruling and points out many others in the law enforcement community do as well, including former Montana A-G Marc Racicot. Beach agreed to discuss the decision with Edward O'Brien. He says the Parole Board's ruling was disappointing and made him sick to his stomach. He adds he had a feeling prior to the announcement that it wasn't going to go well: